The company says it has completed all the required functional and safety testing and approvals to achieve the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) certification, which is a critical step to start trials and sales of EKA E9 to customers in the coming months.
Pune-headquartered, EKA, an electric vehicle manufacturing and technology company, a subsidiary of Pinnacle Industries has received the CMVR certification for its 9-metre electric bus, EKA E9, from the ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India).
The Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) certification was handed over to Dr. Sudhir Mehta, Founder and Chairman, EKA, by Dr. Reji Mathai, Director, Automotive Research Association of India.
The company says it has completed all the required functional and safety testing and approvals to achieve the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) certification, which is a critical step to start trials and sales of EKA E9 to customers in the coming months.
Dr. Sudhir Mehta said, “We started EKA with a vision to bring sustainable, reliable, and efficient mobility solutions, starting with the electrification of commercial vehicles, and public transport, especially the bus sector. Having passed all certification tests in this short time frame is a truly monumental achievement by the whole team. We now look forward to ramping up our production and delivering our electric buses to our customers.”
The OEM says the E9 features a new streamlined vehicle design and maximised power and range due to its monocoque steel chassis and complete composite structure. With a capacity to seat 31 passengers and a driver, along with a standing capacity, EKA E9 also accommodates a wheelchair with a foldable ramp. With a 200km range on a single charge, the vehicle is also fuel cell capable.
The e-bus runs on a proprietary in-house developed operating system software which is tested for reliability and ensures application-based configuration of the vehicle. Its modular architecture makes the E9 the bus that can be configured for multiple applications such as city buses, staff carriers, and school buses.
EKA is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Industries, which is a leading automotive seating, interiors & speciality vehicles supplier, and is one of the only commercial vehicle manufacturers approved under the Champion OEM Scheme & EV component manufacturing scheme of the government of India’s Auto PLI policy.
“We started EKA with a vision to bring sustainable, reliable, and efficient mobility solutions, starting with the electrification of commercial vehicles, and public transport, especially the bus segment.
“Having passed all certification tests in this short time frame is an achievement by the whole team. We now look forward to ramping up our production and delivering our electric buses to our customers,” said Sudhir Mehta, founder-Chairman, EKA.
A recent report has pegged domestic electric vehicle volume at over 10 million units by 2030, with an overall adoption rate of more than 30 per cent across different vehicle categories.
According to UITP, the international association of public transport, Indian cities are now returning to pre-Covid travel demand levels and as a result, many bus agencies across the country are undertaking large-scale electric bus procurement.
With a capacity to seat 31 passengers and a driver, along with a standing capacity, E9 also accommodates a wheelchair with a foldable ramp.
